File:Luteine_-_Lutein.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
lutein
Sign in to saveAlso known as SID548587, xanthophyll, 180580-60-3
Lutein (; from Latin luteus meaning "yellow") is a xanthophyll and one of 600 known naturally occurring carotenoids. Lutein is synthesized only by plants, and like other xanthophylls is found in high quantities in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and yellow carrots. In green plants, xanthophylls act to modulate light energy and serve as non-photochemical quenching agents to deal with triplet chlorophyll, an excited form of chlorophyll which is overproduced at high light levels during photosynthesis.
OverviewAI-generated
Lutein is a chemical compound with the molecular formula C₄₀H₅₆O₂. Its molecular mass is listed as 568.428031, while its weight is recorded as 568.9. The substance has a charge of 0 and contains two hydrogen bond donors and two hydrogen bond acceptors. Its topological polar surface area is 40.5, and its xlogp value is 11.
The compound is associated with a PubMed query count of 7889. It is referenced by 298 other encyclopedia articles.
Synthesized by Vinony from 17 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, PubMed, PubChem, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
In the Vinony graph
Within Vinony's link graph, lutein is referenced by 298 other articles, and connects out to Latin, yellow and blue.
It is catalogued under topics including Carotenoids, Chembox image size set and Chemical articles with multiple compound IDs.
Its subject is documented across 41 Wikipedia language editions.
Chemical data
- Formula
- C40H56O2
- Molecular weight
- 568.9 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- (1R)-4-[(1E,3E,5E,7E,9E,11E,13E,15E,17E)-18-[(1R,4R)-4-hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-yl]-3,7,12,16-tetramethyloctadeca-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17-nonaenyl]-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-3-en-1-ol
- SMILES
- CC1=C(C(C[C@@H](C1)O)(C)C)/C=C/C(=C/C=C/C(=C/C=C/C=C(\C)/C=C/C=C(\C)/C=C/[C@H]2C(=C[C@@H](CC2(C)C)O)C)/C)/C
- InChIKey
- KBPHJBAIARWVSC-RGZFRNHPSA-N
- XLogP
- 11
- Polar surface area
- 40.5 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 2
- H-bond acceptors
- 2
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
Drug data · ChEMBL
- Molecule type
- Small molecule
via ChEMBL · EBI
Research
7,889 papers- Lutein Supplementation for Eye Diseases.Nutrients · 2020
- Lutein production from microalgae: A review.Bioresource technology · 2023
- Lutein: A natural defence combating age-related macular degeneration.Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology · 2025
- Lutein as an Ingredient in Pediatric Nutritionals.Journal of AOAC International · 2019
- Microalgal lutein: Advancements in production, extraction, market potential, and applications.Bioresource technology · 2023
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Mass
- 568.428031
- Has use
- food coloring
Show 6 more facts
- Commons category
- Lutein
- chemical formula
- C₄₀H₅₆O₂
- isomeric SMILES
- CC1=C(C(C[C@@H](C1)O)(C)C)/C=C/C(=C/C=C/C(=C/C=C/C=C(\C)/C=C/C=C(\C)/C=C/[C@H]2C(=C[C@@H](CC2(C)C)O)C)/C)/C
- canonical SMILES
- CC1=C(C(CC(C1)O)(C)C)C=CC(=CC=CC(=CC=CC=C(C)C=CC=C(C)C=CC2C(=CC(CC2(C)C)O)C)C)C
- found in taxon
- Liliaceae
- subject has role
- primary metabolite
Sources (5)
via Wikidata · CC0
~9 min read
Encyclopedic overview
10 sectionsContents
- As a pigment
- Role in human eyes
- Macular degeneration
- Cataract research
- In foods
- Safety
- Commercial value
- See also
- References
- External links
{{Chembox | Watchedfields = changed | verifiedrevid = 457657742 | ImageFile = Luteine - Lutein.svg | ImageClass = skin-invert-image | ImageSize = 300px | ImageFile1 = Lutein molecule spacefill.png | ImageClass1 = bg-transparent | ImageSize1 = 300 | ImageAlt1 = Space-filling model of lutein | IUPACName = (3R,6R,3R)-β,ε-Carotene-3,3-diol | SystematicName = (1R,4R)-4-{(1E,3E,5E,7E,9E,11E,13E,15E,17E)-18-[(4R)-4-Hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-1-en-1-yl]-3,7,12,16-tetramethyloctadeca-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17-nonaen-1-yl}-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ol | OtherNames = |Section1= |Section2= |Section7= }}
Lutein (; from Latin luteus meaning "yellow") is a xanthophyll and one of 600 known naturally occurring carotenoids. Lutein is synthesized only by plants, and like other xanthophylls is found in high quantities in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and yellow carrots. In green plants, xanthophylls act to modulate light energy and serve as non-photochemical quenching agents to deal with triplet chlorophyll, an excited form of chlorophyll which is overproduced at high light levels during photosynthesis.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “lutein” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.